A new study has found a strong correlation between the presence of healthy coral reefs and the health of fishing yields.
The latest study was led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and focused on the fishing yield of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
The scientists analyzed yields from 2016 through 2020 of nine fisheries-dependent areas. They found that there is a direct relationship between the health of the reefs and the fishing yields generated.
According to WHOI environmental economist Marine Yaqin Liu:
“This rapid loss of coral will force fish capable of living independently of them to move elsewhere. Less concentrated populations can lead to smaller yields for fisheries. For fish that rely on reefs for food or shelter, such as butterflyfish and coral trout, yields will shrink as their populations do. It is important to support claims about climate change with hard data. Responsible fisheries are already safeguarding coral reefs by integrating sustainable approaches, but human impacts like ocean warming and acidification further threaten coral reefs and fisheries yields.
“WHOI’s Reef Solutions Team continues to study and develop innovative ways to restore and strengthen coral reefs, with a goal of taking successful learnings and implementing them globally.”
While assistant professor of economics and financial studies at Clarkson University in New York Qingran Li added:
“Coral trout and saddletail snapper are part of Queensland, Australia’s line fishery, an industry with $27-31 million gross value. While this methodology of this study does not lend itself to making dollar predictions, we can expect a decline in fishing yields to have substantial economic impacts, such as loss of jobs and reduced export.”
You can find the original research here.